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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Lisa Harris's Stolen Identity

No, Lisa Harris hasn't stolen anyone's identity. That's the title of her new book! Lisa describes herself as “a wife, mom, [homeschooling] teacher, author, dreamer, photographer, but most importantly a follower of Christ Jesus.” She’s also a regular blogger for International Christian Fiction Writers—one of our own.

Lisa’s new romantic suspense, Stolen Identity, is out this month. Here’s what the publisher says about it: Danielle Corbit doesn't understand why someone would want to steal her identity. A single mother running a small business—nothing special, right? But after discovering a dead body on the Oregon coastline, she's attacked by a dangerous hacker who will stop at nothing to frame her. Only her former fiancé, Jason Ryan, is willing to help. Years ago she broke his heart, but he can't walk away from a woman in need. He'll do anything to protect her from their unseen adversary. But is there enough time to work together and untangle this twisted web of fraud and deception?

LeAnne Hardy: My eighty-seven-year-old mother-in-law had her identity stolen this spring. Someone tried opening a dozen credit card accounts in her name using various family phone numbers and addresses. He even knew what kind of car my mother-in-law drives. So how did a stranger get all that information? It’s scary to think that the scenario of Stolen Identity is not all that far fetched! Lisa, what made you think of turning identity theft into a thriller?

Lisa Harris: Wow, that is scary about your mother-in-law, because you're right, identity theft is real. Which is one reason I wanted to write this book. I remember getting my first scam letter a number of years ago. It made me angry when I found out what people were trying to do and how many people had been scammed, and continue to be scammed today. As a romantic suspense author, it also became the perfect backdrop for my story. So while I hope to entertain--and know that what happened to Danielle in this story probably will never happened to anyone--I hope it also educates people to be careful. Here are some practical ideas from the US Department of Justice to avoid being a victim of identity theft.

LeAnne: You live in Africa near the Indian Ocean, and some of your books have been set there. Others are set in North America where you grew up. Are there common themes that run through your books regardless of setting?

Lisa: One, I like to take a real-world situation, like identity theft, or human trafficking, or refuge camps, and use those issues as the backdrop for my story. These are real issues, but they are also the perfect setting for ordinary people to face tremendous odds and have their faith challenged. On a spiritual level, I want to then use this situation to show how even when life is spinning out of control, our only hope can still be found in our heavenly Father.

LeAnne: How do your faith and your own past experiences of pain and infertility affect the way you approach your writing?

Lisa: I think having faced some difficult issues in my own life, like infertility and a miscarriage, helps me be able to relate to some of the emotions of my characters. I know what it is like to love, and to lose, and yes, even to question God. While I always want the spiritual thread in my stories to be natural and not forced, it is very important to me to have my characters grow or be challenged in their faith. I often find that my character's spiritual struggles and growth mirror my own.

LeAnne: You and your husband are church-planting missionaries. Your blog and website describe some of the major projects you are involved in. You’re also a homemaker (in a challenging environment!) and school your own kids. How do you find the time to write?

Honestly, it's not always easy. I am blessed because my family is very supportive, and help out whenever I'm on a tight deadline. My twelve-year-old has even been known to cook dinner for us to help out in a pinch--there is no fast food where we live--but I also strive to put my family and our ministry first, which means I have to be careful and realistic with my writing schedule. I also know how fast these years with my children slip away, and I don't want to sacrifice them for a career. So the balance isn't always easy, but I'm always trying to adjust and be better organized--aren't we all?--and enjoy life as much as possible.

Lisa will be giving away a signed copy of Stolen Identity to a lucky reader of this blog. An e-book is available if the reader lives outside the US. Leave a comment with a disguised e-mail (to phoil phishers!) by Saturday to be entered in the drawing. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Void where prohibited by law.

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LeAnne Hardy used to live in Mozambique so she follows Lisa Harris with special interest. LeAnne's juvenile fiction The Wooden Ox is set there. Learn more at www.leannehardy.net .

15 comments:

Lisa, I appreciate your writing and that it is not only exciting, but it is a means of challenging your readers to become more the people that god created them to be. I am looking forward to reading Stolen Identity.may_dayzee (at) yahoo (dot) com

What an intriguing premise, Lisa. As an older person, I am appalled by the number of scams targeting seniors, LeAnne. I think every family should have a cue card by the telephone with this sentence to read to unknown callers.

"Please be advised that we do no business by telephone unless we initiate the call. Thank you for understanding. Good-bye!"

Of course, with the advent of the internet, the phone is, unfortunately, not the only way malicious people can mine information.

You are so right, Judith. I have heard from a number of older people who have been taken advantage of, or who have friends who have fallen for a scam, so it really is something that people need to be aware of. We don't want to be afraid, but we must be careful.

Lisa is another new author to me and this book sounds like a very interesting book to me. There is so much going on with scams nowadays that it is very scary and so many people being taken advantage of.